Raptors pull away to beat Pacers

Video

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Terrence Ross scored 24 points, Jonas
Valanciunas had 22 and the Toronto Raptors pulled away for a 102-94 win over
the Indiana Pacers on Friday night despite playing without two starters.

DeMar DeRozan chipped in 20 points and nine assists and Valanciunas had nine
rebounds for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who have won five of their
last six.

They played without point guard Kyle Lowry, who missed his second straight
game with a bruised left kneecap. Forward Amir Johnson was also out with a
sore ankle that forced him to leave Wednesday's win over Houston after just
three minutes.

"We have to prepare like they're not going to be there," said Raptors coach
Dwane Casey. "We have to prepare to make plans with the people that are
healthy and are going to be available. That's the NBA. ...

"We've been lucky not to have major injuries, knock on wood."

Paul George had 26 points and David West scored 21, but Indiana's struggles
continued.

The Pacers have lost six of their last eight games, gaining no momentum from
Wednesday's home win over Detroit.

Their only other win in their current slide was an 84-83 victory over Miami at
home on March 26, which clinched the Central Division title for the Pacers and
gave them a three-game lead over the Heat in the Eastern Conference that has
since evaporated.

The Raptors held Indiana to 19 points in the fourth quarter -- none after the
4:24 mark -- on 36.4 percent shooting.

"You gotta give credit to the Raptors," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "They
played hard. They only had three starters and they stepped up. DeMar, Jonas,
Ross played out of their minds.

"It shows why they've been one of the best home teams in the NBA in the second
half of the season."

Valanciunas scored four straight points to give the Raptors the lead for good,
rattling home a jumper from the foul line to make it 98-94 with two minutes
left.

Toronto missed two straight shots, but after Indiana's Lance Stephenson failed
to get an end-to-end layup to drop, Ross hit two free throws with 29.2 seconds
remaining and George missed a 3-point try at the other end.

The Pacers have lost six in a row on the road. The Raptors, on an uptick, have
six regular-season games left before making their first playoff appearance
since 2008.

John Salmons and George drew matching technical fouls after an altercation
with 1:45 left in the third quarter. Salmons shoved George near the Indiana
bench during an inbounds pass and the players and their teammates came
together.

It came during a personal 6-0 run by George that tied the game for Indiana
going into the fourth quarter.

After 10 lead changes and three ties, the Pacers had a 28-27 edge going into
the second quarter. A 13-3 run late in the half, led by Valanciunas's four
points, gave the Raptors an eight-point lead and they were up 54-46 at the
break.

Game Notes

Roy Hibbert had 12 points for Indiana ... Toronto out-shot Indiana 47.6
percent to 42.3 percent ... The Pacers are home against Atlanta on Sunday ...
The Raptors go on the road to play Milwaukee on Saturday.